entertainment
A Cup of Coffee, a Carpenter's Workshop, and One Dollar: Shocking Salaries of Today's Million-Dollar Hollywood Stars
Today, Hollywood is recognized for astronomical salaries, private islands, and contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars. However, the path to the top is rarely paved with gold from the very beginning. Some of the most iconic roles in cinema history, which defined the careers of acting giants, were paid surprisingly little - sometimes even less than technicians on the same set earned.
TL;DR
- Christian Bale was paid the legal minimum for 'American Psycho' when the studio was hesitant about casting him, while makeup artists earned more.
- Brad Pitt accepted $956 for a 3-second cameo in 'Deadpool 2', with his only demand being a Starbucks coffee from Ryan Reynolds.
- Harrison Ford, then a carpenter, was paid $10,000 for his role as Han Solo in the original 'Star Wars'.
- George Clooney paid himself $1 for his roles as screenwriter, director, and actor in 'Good Night, and Good Luck' to maintain creative control and film in black and white.
- James Earl Jones received $7,000 for his iconic voice role as Darth Vader in the original 'Star Wars', initially refusing a credit.
- Jamie Lee Curtis earned $8,000 for her role as Laurie Strode in the low-budget horror film 'Halloween', even buying her own wardrobe.